Rain and cold were the dominant factors, but the Hearts women's football team coped well with the conditions, defeating Whitehall 2-1 at Hearts on April 17, finally defeating the Vikings for the first time since 2014. ended their winning streak against.
“It's a day that's been on the women's soccer schedule for a long time,” Hart coach Joe Gilbert said. “The Pirates had a good feeling that 2024 would be their year after losing 3-2 to the Vikings last year.”
The cold weather made it difficult for both teams to move the ball, causing it to slip on the wet grass.
However, once the game started, the Vikings tried to put pressure on the Pirates, moving the ball forward in a very direct style and creating scoring opportunities.
In return, the Pirates also tried to slow down the Vikings' chances with their passing game.
Both teams had corner kicks early on, and Pirates were able to successfully defend Whitehall despite some trepidation and took several shots from their own corner kicks.
The Vikings got on the scoreboard first when Claire Westerlund redirected Kate Beda's free kick past Pirates goaltender Emma Jeffries.
Moments later, as the Pirates put pressure on the Vikings, Pirates midfielder Sidney Goodrich received a pass in front of the penalty area and fired a shot that hit the far post.
However, just a minute after the Vikings scored, Lillin Porter was able to grab a rebound and fire a shot past the Vikings' goalie.
The Vikings then spent the rest of the first half breaking down the Pirates' defensive line, holding their line, and allowing the Pirates to fight back.
The second half started the same way, but with five minutes left in the game, Breslin Porter found space and scored, passing to Brianna Arjona on the left wing.
Arjona then calmly placed a touch shot into the goal, scoring the game-winning goal with less than five minutes remaining.
“I talked to the girls about anticipating a skip, but it's a little wet, so let's let it settle down first and then try to move the ball in the rain,” Gilbert said of the conditions.
Vikings head coach Adam Prince echoed similar sentiments.
“I think the weather was a big factor,” Prince said. “Throughout the whole second half it was like the ball was jumping over people and overrunning the ball. And what happened on the final goal was they went over the goal and the goalie started moving in one direction and put it down. It means you can't go back to the place.'' The shot came back. ”